Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-13
4 KAIL. or WHIT

Elsewhere IN this Issue Of THE GA
zETTE is repubtshed an article from the
Dallas News. That paper is at present
engaged in a very personal wsrfate with
the editor of the Texas Christian Advo-
cate, in the progress OF which the News
hiss said: "Tne News is moi hankering
after fresh row, be it understood, but
if need be will tackle pen full OF
preachers" This gratuitous challenge
to the Christian ministry of Texas was
the text of the remarks of THE GAZETTE
to which the News now SO lugubriously
calls attention. Prior to this challenge
THE GAZETTE had simply alluded to the
great controversy as matter of public
Interest. And of the challenge THE GA
zETTE thus regrc(fully spoke;
THE GAZETTE notes with regret that the
Galveston Dallas News is prone to shift is
quarrel with Mr.. Briggs to the entire body of
Christian ministry in the state. Tho News
should have settled any dispute 1t had with
any individual minister without betray Ing its
enmity to the ministry by q challenge -
whole pen fall of preachers" To thus cause
lessly challenge the whole "pen fall" because
1t happens to be in dispute with one preacher
is for the News to confess that It desires 10
fight preachers, as there can be no other rca-
sonable explanation of the challenge to q "pen
full of preachers " People viii naturally ask
the cause of the hostility to pr eachers, and be
inclined, perhaps, to believe the News Is acta-
ated by opposition to religion rather than to
the preachers Individually, for the ''pen full of
preachers" can not all have offended in the
oftense of Mr.. Briggs, whose "other cheek"
seems to be loaded when turned to the News.
L is not usual for public journal,
of any class, to boast OF its ability to
tackle "a pen full" of individuals of that
class, while, on the other hand, 1t is
quite common with those who "hanker
for row" to proclaim their ability to
"whip any msn in the crowd" The
public will fail to apprehend why a fight
with Mr.. Briggs, preacher, should excite
declaration of ability TO "tackle pen
full of preachers" any more than fight
with Mr.. Coke, Governor, should impel
the boast OF ability to ttackle e pan full
of governors"-unless there be an un-
derlying hostility to the class or to the
cause represented in the persons OF the
individuals Of that class. AS stated by
THE GAZETTE, so mildly and chsritsbly
in the article to which the News calls
public attention, TIE challenge wes
grstuitous, since the open full OF preach
ers' in Texas could have personally
given TO offense to the News, and
would excite public curiosity 10 knew the
cause Of the emnity OF the News.
THE GAzETTE's esteemed Dallas con-
temporary should not coufine its re-
breaches to this paper, for, TO demon
s.rste that THE GAZETTE is no! alone in
commenting on the great controversy,
some extracts are printed in this issue
which are taken from Texas papers now
st hand. Why was THE GAZETTE singled
out from among al the papers OF Texas
for the exceptional attention of q half
column editorial?
Tie Dallas End tells Of esteemed con-
temporaries that lived in the past ct
Houston and Galveston, but whose little
pink toes ere now turned up to the
eaisies-thst died,we are left to presume.
OF too much Galveston End. But our
esteemed Dsllas contemporary neglects
to add that the funerals occurred in the